This invention relates generally to multi-functional life saving tools and, more particularly, to an emergency escape tool that enables a driver or passenger of an automobile to escape from a vehicle that has become submerged in water.
If a driver or passenger in an automobile is involved in a collision with another vehicle or even a one-car accident like leaving the roadway, he may not only have injuries to his body to contend with but also the challenge of getting out of the wrecked vehicle which may be on fire or submerged in water. In some automobiles, the automatic windows and door locks may not operate after an impact or simply be too bent up to operate effectively. Essentially, the occupants of the automobile may be trapped until assistance arrives to cut the car apart with special equipment. Unfortunately, if there is fire or water on the interior of the automobile yet the seatbelts remain locked and the windows and doors remain closed, the fate of the occupants, especially if injured already, is in great peril.
Various devices have been proposed in the prior art for breaking out a window of an automobile and for cutting loose a seatbelt. Although presumably effective for their intended purposes, the existing devices and proposes do not provide an effective multi-functional escape tool that may be mounted to a vehicle seat for convenient access by a driver who needs to escape from an automobile by breaking a window, cutting loose a seatbelt, and to gain access to the tool even if the automobile is submerged in water.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have an emergency escape tool that is multi-functional to enable an automobile passenger to break a window, cut loose a seatbelt, and to be accessible by flotation and illumination in case the automobile is submerged in water.